CORRUPTION buster Tony Fitzgerald has fashioned himself as the Newman Government’s political opponent, launching a scathing attack on almost every facet of the LNP administration.

After decades of being the state’s apolitical corruption fighter, Mr Fitzgerald yesterday broadened his assault on the Newman Government, attacking it for “nepotism”, “large-scale public service sackings”, “limiting union rights” and even extending his attack to their position on climate change.

Until now, Mr Fitzgerald’s critique of the LNP administration has been limited to the Government’s bikie laws and failed sex offender laws, its treatment of the judiciary, the appointment of Chief Justice Tim Carmody and changes to the CMC.

On the back of yesterday’s expanded attack, senior Government sources told The Courier-Mail it was clear Mr Fitzgerald was positioning himself as the Opposition and had abandoned his apolitical stance.

“He’s flying the flag for the Labor Party,” one said.

In an 1169-word opinion piece mass-emailed yesterday, Mr Fitzgerald declared Premier Campbell Newman and his most senior ministers lacked knowledge of Queensland’s political history.

Responding to Mr Newman’s mea culpa this week, Mr Fitzgerald said that the Government was failing to acknowledge “some of its most egregious mistakes”.

He used his opinion piece to build a case against the Newman Government, attacking it over: preferential treatment of supporters; removal of limits on political donations; hospital staff conditions; environmental protection for the Great Barrier Reef and Stradbroke Island; changes to electoral laws; and asset sales

Yesterday, Mr Fitzgerald labelled a meeting between Mr Newman, Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie and the heads of Queensland’s three court jurisdictions yesterday as “staged” and accused the Government of being insincere in its apologies and recent policy reversals.

“In an attempt at political damage control, the government proposes to reverse some, but by no means all, of its errors,” Mr Fitzgerald said.

“It has made no changes to the ministry or explained why it acted as it did or why it persisted in its objectionable conduct for so long.

“Instead of explaining, the Premier has staged a ‘reconciliation’ with the lower levels of the judiciary, misrepresented the position of the Supreme Court judges and unilaterally ‘drawn a line in the sand’.

“It’s transparently clear that the Government doesn’t really regret its actions or intend to change its behaviour.”

Opposition Leader Annastacia Palasczcuk said Mr Fitzgerald’s comments were proof the public was not buying the Government’s apologies.

“If the architect of our anti-corruption systems is not convinced then the LNP’s PR stunt has already failed,” she said.

Treasurer Tim Nicholls said the Government was genuine in its bid to mend its relationship with the judiciary and the legal fraternity, and in its pledge to prove it really is listening to its constituents.

“We are focused with the Premier as part of the team that is the LNP government on delivering good results for Queenslanders,” he said.

“We’re not going ease off.”

Davis’ Ashgrove move unlikely

FORMER LNP MP Chris Davis has approached Labor to sell the idea of him running against Mr Newman in Ashgrove, but has been told by the party that the move is extremely unlikely.

Dr Davis met with Queensland ALP heavyweights Anthony Chisholm and Evan Moorhead on Tuesday at his home to pitch his potential candidacy, should former Bligh minister Kate Jones ultimately decide against running.

But the former member for Stafford – who resigned from State Parliament after publicly clashing with his own party over electoral reforms, the doctors’ contracts dispute and CMC reforms – would also potentially have to secure preselection over Ashgrove local Rod Harding.

The Courier-Mail last month revealed Dr Davis was interested in holding talks with the ALP.

A Labor source said the party had not outright knocked back Dr Davis’ approach, but had made it clear his candidacy was extremely unlikely, given the large local branch membership and calibre of the possible frontrunners.

“We gave him a pretty strong indication that that would be very unlikely ... that it would be too hard,” the source said.

The man whose sudden resignation triggered a by-election that lost the LNP a seat told ABC Television that the talks had simply aimed to “open the investigation of the potential, nothing else”.

“It’s still quite clear there is interest in having Kate Jones and clearly that’s her call,” he said.

He said he had quit the LNP and was considering running in Ashgrove – if Ms Jones did not.

But Dr Davis said any such move would not be driven by a desire to push Mr Newman from his seat.

“It’s not a matter of (campaigning) against the Premier – it’s just that I have an affinity with the people of Ashgrove having been (in) the adjacent electorate,” he said.

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